Amigo Coffee Taps Local Farmers for Quality Beans

Aiming for a sustainable change in today’s society, a group of young entrepreneurs established The Amigo Coffee to advocate homegrown coffee and Filipino heritage.

Composed of Robin Lim, Bettina Calubaquib, Lara Jomalesa, Anton Parco, and Martin Bautista, the group aspires to raise awareness on the plight of local farmers especially during this time of the pandemic.

The Amigo Coffee

The social enterprise sources its coffee from several small-scale farmers across the country.

“Our farmers grow these coffee berries after three quarters of a year and mill them. The same farmers take these beans into tables where they segregate the perfect from the damaged. After the beans have been polished and sorted, we have this sent to us and roasted,” the group shared.

The Amigo Coffee

Image: Facebook/The Amigo Coffee

One of their coffee suppliers is the Balutakay Coffee Farmers Association, or BACOFA. It is a group of smallholder coffee farmers based in Bansalan, Davao del Sur.

“We sourced our first wave of coffee supplies there because they were the most accessible suppliers of local coffee which was a crucial factor for a start-up business like ours,” they said.

Another one is a group of local farmers from Kalinga, Cordillera, the Gawidan Farmers’ Association, Inc.

The group believes that by reaching out to local farmers, they are able to foster their condition in the country.

“It is very important for us to remain aligned with our vision, and this signifies our willingness to tap farmers who are in urgent need of help. With this, we interview farmers on their methods and educate them on sustainable ways,” the young entrepreneurs said.

The Amigo Coffee

Image: Facebook/The Amigo Coffee

The Amigo Coffee hopes that through the practice of sustainable farming and improving local food systems, money can be reinvested which will, in turn, provide jobs in the community.

In the coming days, the social enterprise is looking forward to immersing themselves in the situation of local farmers so they may be able to come up with better long-term solutions and create more coffee flavors specific to an area.

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